Run
by EveDuncan2
Summary: All of us will, or already have, reach a point in our lives where we're helpless. You have no one to turn to, you can't stand up for yourself, and the whole world seems to be against you. You only have one option left; Run. As fast and hard as you can from the people who broke you.
1. Hitch Hiking

**Chapter One**

**Hitch Hiking**

Bubbles P.O.V.

This was... humiliating. And cold.

My wind beaten face was bright red, due to the mixture of my anger, embarrassment, and the six inches of snow I was currently marching through.

_In heels._

And a party dress that I had no business wearing in a snow storm.

Long story.

I lifted up my hand to prop my arm up, the muscles feeling strained.

Ugh, how long had I been walking? It felt like _days._

I pulled out my phone to check the time, but threw it on the road as soon as I saw 'Missed Call' flashing on the screen. It was from _him_.

I waved my thumb in the air as I saw a flash of headlights in the distance.

The truck flew by me, its wheels making a sharp turn to avoid an icy puddle... which soaked me to the bone.

I shook myself with a curse and was about to flip the bastard off, when my eyes landed on my discarded cell. Well, what remained of it anyways.

I growled angrily.

The one car that I see my whole time out here not only passes me by, but gives me frostbite and destroys my phone.

Perfect.

I fought back the tears that threatened to erase my fury and replace it with something far more pathetic. The situation was pathetic enough for a life time.

I had thought it would be so easy too! In the movies, the hero always got a ride in a matter of minutes!

This was a wonderful example of how reality sucks.

Along with the facts that I was broke, nearly naked, and _starving._

The only food I had eaten today had been a piece of toast for breakfast. Now, night had fallen hours ago and my stomach was screaming at me.

I finally gave up, plopping down on the freezing snow and resting my head in my hands.

What had I done to deserve this? Had I done something to... upset God? I couldn't necessarily be considered a church mouse, but I wasn't a satanist either.

I mean, I've lied before, sure, and I've probably sinned a whole bunch of other times I can't even remember. But, the worst thing I'd ever done (prior to today) was steal a gorgeous blue scarf from Aeropostale.

Had that really been so evil?

I sighed, resigned to my fate to die in this blizzard, and laid down.

My hands had already gone numb and I had no doubt that my lips were blue.

My pulse had been steadily increasing since the snow started, but now it began to slow, a dull thud in my ears.

My veins continued getting softer until the wind was the only sound in the night and my eyes closed.


	2. Escape

**Chapter Two**

**Escape**

Bubbles P.O.V

Bright. Way too bright.

Did I forget to close the curtains last night?

Ugh, I was way too tired for the sun to decide to be a jerk.

I rearranged my head's position so that I was face down on my... leather pillow?

My eyes snapped open and I became acutely aware of the light pur of a new engine buzzing around me. I was in a car. A nice one, from the sound of it and the feel of the leather seats.

"What...?" I trailed off as I lifted my head and saw a divider between the driver's seat and me.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice thick from sleep.

No answer, yet the car seemed to be moving.

I tentatively peeked out the window only to see... nothing.

It was locked as well.

And it hadn't been the sun that had woken me up, but an overhead light that must've clicked on while on conscious.

"Who's there?" I called louder hugging my knees to my chest.

That terrifying silence started up again.

My eyes widened as the words 'kidnapped' and 'sex trafficking' flashed in my mind.

I lunged at the door, jiggling the handle with vigor to no avail.

The lock button had made itself scarce and I couldn't find it no matter how hard I looked.

I grimaced slightly as I realized I'd be making a much louder and messier escape than previously planned.

I'd have to break the window.

I took off my heels with shaking hands and held one of them, stiletto out.

Without another moment of hesitation, I lunged at the window with a little cry.

The heel connected with the glass and, contrary to the loud crash I was expecting, a loud thud echoed around the car.

What the...?

I tried hitting it again, with more oomph, and got the same result.

My frustration getting the best of me, I started slamming it into the stubborn window repeatedly.

The car suddenly squealed to a stop and my breath caught.

I guess I've finally been heard.

Crap.

I scooted as far away from that door as possible, wielding my now dull heel as a weapon

What if they have they had guns?

How many of them were there?

Who were they?

Dozens of questions started rushing into me as I heard the lock click and the door handle turned.

I let out a blood curdling shriek as the car door was thrown open, waving my shoe around violently.

"Whoa!" A deep voice yelped, jumping back, "So you aren't dead!"

I stopped thrashing, but still held the stiletto in front of my face for protection.

"Of course im not dead!" I shrieked.

"Okay!" he said, throwing his hands up in surrender, "Okay, I know now. But you were so cold last night...I wasn't sure."

I pursed my lips, "What were you going to do if I were dead?"

He eyed something at my feet and I glanced at the object in horror.

"You were going to bury me?!" I demanded, picking up the shovel menacingly.

He shrugged noncommentally and I threw the shoe at him.

"What's wrong with you? Why didn't you call the police or something?!" I screamed as he narrowly avoided being impaled.

Not that the cops would do to me but through me in a cell, but...

He sighed and then hesitated for a second, "I wasn't thinking straight."

"You sure weren't." I muttered, my posture slumping as I realized I wasn't in any danger, from him at least.

"Do..." He trailed off, "Do you have some place that you want me to drop you off?"

I froze for a moment, looking away from him.

I didn't. I couldn't stay anywhere in Georgia.

"Where are you headed?" I asked, instead of answering his previous question.

"Out of town." He met my eyes evenly and muttered evasively.

"Perfect." I said smoothly, "Ill tag along."

He made a chocking noise that wasn't quite a laugh, "Really."

I nodded easily, "If you don't mind. I've been wanting to do some sight seeing outside of Buckhead."

"I might be going a little further than out the country." he warned.

"Even better." I said with false cheer.

"I mind." he said shortly and I nearly cried.

"Oh." I crumbled in the seat, "Okay, I don't wanna be a bother or anything..."

I stood up and one miserable step away from the car, which turned out to be a limo.

"Okay" He breathed grumpily, "You can come, just stop with the puppy look!"

I whirled around with a hopeful look, "You mean it?"

He scowled, "Yes, now get in before I change my mind."


	3. Types of Silence

**Chapter Three**

**Types of Silence**

Bubbles P.O.V.

He didn't make me sit in the back, which I was grateful for, but the front part of the car was more...uncomfortable.

Not the car itself but the quietness of the driver.

Id always hated silent, it made me fell so awkward. And now was no exception.

I started tapping my foot on the ground and staring out the window, avoiding any eye contact.

I gnawed on my lip as the silence continued dragging on and I finally couldn't take it anymore.

"So whats your name?" I asked, angling myself towards him.

He hesitated before answering, "Brick."

"Brick..." I encouraged.

"Just Brick."

"Oh." I mumbled.

I guess it was a little weird to ask a near stranger their last name.

I could be an identity thief for all he knows.

The awful silence crept up again, and I felt my palms start sweating as it did so.

"Any reason for the road trip?" I blurted.

"...Business." He finally said.

"What do you do?"

"Chatty, aren't you?" He monotoned.

I flushed and laughed nervously, "I guess so."

He didn't volunteer anything after that and I made a defeated noise before leaning back.

Well, I tried.

"There anywhere specific your wanting to go? I don't want to have to babysit you forever."

I perked up, "How far are you willing to take me?"

He thought it over, "I'm going to New York, so you need to be gone before I get there."

"Got it." I breathed, thrilled.

That was a much farther trip than I was expecting! At this rate, I'd be able to get at least half way to the Big Apple, which was absolutely perfect! I'd never have to come back...

A sudden wave of home sickness hit me and I was struck with a wave of nausea.

Oh, god, I wasn't aloud to come back. No more breakfasts in bed with mom. No more tennis with dad. No more movie marathons and video game days with Buttercup. No more studying with Blos-.

No.

I wasn't going to do that to myself. I wasn't going to miss _her._

"You're really quiet." I tried not to hiss, wanting nothing more than to be distracted.

"You don't get quiet time very often in my time of work. Silence is welcome." He said curtly, eyes on the road.

I nodded as though I understood, "Construction?"

He shrugged, "Yeah. It pays."

"A lot?" I asked.

"Too much." He answered, a tad bitter.

"You don't look old enough to think there's such a thing as 'too much'." I smiled.

"Twenty-five, kid. What're you? Twelve?"

"Try twenty, jerk." I scoffed.

He smirked, "Damn, I thought I'd found myself a hot runaway."

"You did." I teased, "The only difference is, I'm not underage."

"Tempting, Ms. Runaway," He chuckled, "Tempting."


	4. More Small Talk

**Chapter Four**

**More Small Talk**

Bubbles P.O.V.

It had been five hours since we started the trip and it was still a little weird, but the level of oddness had been steadily decreasing since we began talking.

"Wait, wait!" I gasped for air in between laughs, "What color was it?!"

"Rainbow." He repeated with a grimace, "A ghetto Rainbow Bright dress."

I erupted in another fit of giggles as he fought off a grin.

"Don't laugh!" He choked out, covering his mouth, "My manly pride was wounded at the young age of seven. Where's my sympathy sex?"

I ignored that, "In front of your whole class? Oh, god, I wish I could've seen it!"

He shook his head, "It was awful."

I sat up in my seat, "I can top that."

"Bull shit." He called, disbelievingly.

"No, I'm serious!" I insisted, "But it's _so_ embarrassing."

He gave me a look, "Well now you have to _tell_ me."

I nodded, swallowing back the rest of my hysterics, "Okay, okay. it was my freshman year of high school."

"Uh oh." Brick laughed and I grinned.

"Yeah, first day, too. I had gotten braces over the summer, and I was still wearing my glasses back then."

He winced, "Oh hell, so this is the prelude to a horror story, then?"

I nodded glumly, "Oh, yeah. My idea for a perfect first-day outfit was paint-splattered overalls and a Blue's Clues t-shirt."

"Oh, god." He gaped, in mock terror.

I did my best to look appropriately disappointed in my past self.

"I was young and stupid." I sighed, rubbing my temples, "At least I left my pink light up Twinkle-Toes at home."

He made a gagging noise and I smiled.

"Anyways, there I was in my Autisticly Artistic gear, skipping to class when I ran into... a guy."

"You mean _the_ guy." He droned and I giggled.

"Tall, black hair, green eyes totally dreamy... And a senior."

"You're such a girl." He sighed.

I ignored him, "He was being so nice, too. He showed me around around the school, walked me to my classes... He seemed like a super sweet heart. Until he took me to gym."

"Let me guess," Brick chuckled, "You smelled all the sweat, and threw up on lover boy."

I snickered, "I wish. It was so much worse. We got their early, so he walked me over to the locker rooms, handed me a uniform, and said he had to go. So, I went where he told me to and locked myself in one of the stalls, I was really shy back then. I started changing and, after a minute or two, people started coming in."

I cut off, blushing at the memory.

"And...?" Brick pressed.

"And I was in the wrong locker room." I whimpered, hiding my face in my hands, "Everyone was half naked when I came out and I was known for the rest of the year as the Peeping Tom-ette."

Brick was quiet for a second and then he doubled over with laughter.

"Shut up!" I whined.

He didn't.

In fact, he was so busy laughing that he didn't notice that the car was driving off the road.

"Brick!" I screeched.

He sobered, "Wha-?"

We crashed.


	5. Placing Faults

**Chapter Five**

**Placing Faults**

Bubbles P.O.V.

Yup, we crashed alright.

Into a fire hydrant.

"Son of a bitch!" Brick growled and marched out of the car to inspect the damage.

"Oh no." I mumbled as a stream of water shot up into the air.

"Shit!" Brick cursed again and I decided to climb out of the limo as well.

"How bad is it?" I asked quietly as he fumed.

"Pretty fuckin' bad." He muttered tersely and I sucked my teeth.

"What do we do?" I questioned, seeing the two front tires void of air.

"Walk." He huffed, moving forward speedily.

I paused for a second, "Walk? Don't we call, like, a tow-truck, or something?"

He continued walking and I jogged to catch up.

"The car's not exactly... legal." He confessed.

I bulged my eyes, "Not legal? But the plates look fine... Do you not have a licence?"

He snapped, "It's stolen."

I was finally next to him, "You stole a limo?!"

"Evidently!" He yelled.

I crossed my arms, "Don't take this out on me, it's not my fault!"

"So it's mine?" He inquired hotly.

I balled my hands into fists, "Well _I_ wasn't driving!"

"You were distracting me!" He accused.

"You weren't making an effort to watch the road!" I threw back.

"So I'm just expected to be utterly focused one hundred percent of the time, is that it?!"

I gave him an incredulous look, "When your _driving_? Yeah!"

He opened his mouth to retort, but the sound of sirens in the distance made both of our eyes bulge.

"_Shit_." He hissed and sprinted back to the limo.

"The car's useless!" I shouted after him, "We have to make a run for it!"

"Your right." He drawled and walked back up to me, a... purse on his arm.

"You needed your purse." I stated dully.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed my forearm, dragging me into a jog down the road opposite of the cops.

We ran as fast and as hard as we could, until a bright flash of headlights alerted us in the distance.

A panicked squeak escaped my throat and I froze up, the siren louder than ever.

Brick cussed and tackled me into the bushes on the side of the road.

"Shhh!" He hissed fervently and I gave a curt nod.

He released me and we both sat up, remaining crouched down in the shrubbery, the police not four yards away from us.


	6. Pains

**Chapter Six**

**Pains**

Bubbles P.O.V.

"Can't we hitch hike?" I whined, stomping my already aching foot in agitation.

"Sorry Ms. Runaway." Brick sighed, "If they won't pick up a blonde hooker in the middle of the night, they aren't going to pick up to shady kids."

I hissed, "_I'm not a hooker_!"

He waved his hand airily, "Details."

My stomach growled at me, "And you didn't bring any cash?"

He tensed up, "I had money, it was in the car. We didn't have enough time to grab any."

"Yet you could grab your precious Prada bag." I spat bitterly.

He patted down his purse as if it gave him reassurance.

"First off, its a satchel. A very manly satchel that I need. End of story."

"Need more than food?" I whimpered, nearly doubling over with hunger pains.

"Yes." he said shortly.

I groaned in annoyance, "You're such a pain."

"You don't have to stay with me. We're not even out of Georgia yet. You can run back home like a good girl and we can pretend this never happened." He suggested, rubbing his temples.

"No I can't." I said simply.

My stomach rumbled again as we reached the town of whatever county this was.

"I'm gonna die." I groaned.

"Give me a second." Brick said suddenly and I looked up at him with surprise.

"What are you-?" I tried to ask, but he disappeared into the crowd of people before I could get another word out.

A wave of horror struck me.

He ditched me!

That jerk! After... Well, not much, but I thought we'd been getting along!

Proved how bad my judgement is...

My lower lip started wobbling and I took a seat on a nearby bench.

"Fine." I mumbled.

I'd get out myself. I didn't need him.

I wiped furiously at my eyes when I felt a traitor tear trail down my cheek.

I can't believe he actually left.

My negative train of thought stopped when a shadow loomed over me.

I slowly looked up and was greeted with a full smile.

"Let's eat." Brick suggested, holding up a mysterious wad of cash.


	7. Diner Dash

**Chapter Seven**

**Diner Dash**

Bubbles P.O.V.

"You could've said where you were going." I said lamely.

I was currently hiding behind my menu, trying to keep my still bloodshot eyes out of sight.

"I didn't want to freak you out." He said easily.

I pursed my lips, "I'm not a _total_ spaz. I can be calm... sometimes."

"Sure." He stifled a snigger.

I slammed my menu down on the table with an echoing smack, "You don't know me!"

Brick looked around at the other tables full of staring people and I blushed as I realized how loud I'd been.

"So don't judge me." I finished in a much quieter voice.

"Your a little touchy, huh?" He asked as the waiter walked up.

"Good afternoon you two, what can I get y'all?" A guy with a chipper smile and attitude to match, asked.

"Bacon, crispy. Eggs, scrambled. Pancakes, fluffy. Coffee, black. Got it?" Brick demanded in a harsh tone.

The waiter set his jaw and I cut in so my food wouldn't get spit in.

"Please excuse him." I forced a light laugh, "He had an accident last year. His mind isn't all there."

The waiter perked back up, "Oh. Poor thing. Does he need a kids menu, or anything?"

I saw Brick's face turn red and tried to stay serious, "No, but thank you. Oh, and I'll have the chicken sandwhich meal- With a sweet tea."

He nodded, giving me a smile, "Be right out."

Then he turned to Brick and said, slowly, "You're... food... will be... out in... a second."

I nearly died laughing then, but held it back as the waiter turned to me again.

"You're a good person, ma'am."

I put a hand to my heart, trying to look modest, "Well, I try."

He disappeared into the kitchen and my hysterics took over.

I laughed until my belly was sore and tears were flying down my face and when I finally calmed down, Brick was still glaring at me.

"You know you wanna laugh." I teased, poking his arm.

"I might hate you, Ms. Runaway." He said decidedly, his cheeks still rosy.

I smiled sadly, "I might be used to that, Just Brick."

He shook his head slowly but then tensed up, looking instantly alert.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice nearly a whisper.

"Guy walking in." Brick muttered, eyes hard, "He's got a gun."

"What?" I nearly yelped and Brick held a finger sternly to his lips.

"Let's get up, _slowly_, and go." He said in an icy voice.

"Okay." I breathed and slid out of my booth, "What about everyone else?"

"They'll be fine." He said in a Cheshire tone that I didn't trust for a second.

"Brick, we can't just-"

He shot me a glare that shut me up and made me meekly head for the door.

"Good gir-" He started to say, but a sudden pressure settled on the back of my head that made him fall silent.

"Where are you headin', girly?" A stranger's slurring voice said from behind me, "The party's just about to start."


End file.
